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Armageddon (RiffTrax Presents)
Armageddon is a 1998 American science fiction disaster thriller film, directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film follows a group of blue-collar deep-core drillers sent by NASA to stop a gigantic asteroid on a collision course with Earth. It features an ensemble cast including Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Owen Wilson, Will Patton, Peter Stormare, William Fichtner, Michael Clarke Duncan, Keith David and Steve Buscemi. RiffTrax Presents released their riff in June 2010. Plot Synopsis & Original Trailer Spoilers Begin A massive meteor shower destroys the orbiting Space Shuttle Atlantis and bombards a swath of land from America's East Coast including New York City through Finland. NASA discovers that a rogue comet the size of Texas passed through the asteroid belt and pushed forward a large amount of space debris. The core of the comet, now considered an asteroid, will collide with Earth in 18 days, creating another extinction event. NASA scientists, led by Dan Truman, plan to trigger a nuclear detonation 800 ft inside the asteroid that will split the asteroid in two, driving the pieces apart so both will fly safely past the Earth. NASA contacts Harry Stamper, considered the best deep-sea oil driller in the world, for assistance and advice. Harry returns to NASA, along with his adult daughter Grace, to keep her away from her new boyfriend, one of Harry's young and rambunctious drillers, A. J. Frost. Harry and Grace learn about the asteroid, and Harry explains he will need his team, including A. J., to carry out the mission. Once they have been rounded up and the situation is explained, they agree to help, but only after their list of unusual rewards and demands are met. NASA sets plans to launch two military space shuttles Freedom and Independence with redundant equipment to increase the chances of success; the shuttles will refill with liquid oxygen from the Russian space station Mir before making a slingshot maneuver around the Moon as to approach the asteroid from its backside where the target bomb site is located. NASA puts Harry and his crew through a short and rigorous astronaut training program, while Harry and his team re-outfit the mobile drillers, "Armadillos", for the difficult job. The destruction of Shanghai by an asteroid fragment forces NASA to reveal their plans to the world. The shuttles are launched and arrive at Mir where its sole cosmonaut Lev helps with refueling. A major fire breaks out near the last stage of transfer, and the crews including Lev evacuate to the shuttles just before Mir explodes. The shuttles perform the slingshot around the moon, but approaching the asteroid, the Independence's engines are destroyed by trailing debris, and appears lost when it crashes on the asteroid. Grace, aware A.J. was aboard the Independence, is traumatized by this news. Unknown to the others, A.J., Lev, and "Bear" (another of Harry's crew) survive the impact and head towards the target site in their Armadillo. Meanwhile, Freedom safely lands on the asteroid, but has overshot the target landing zone, ending over a much-harder metallic field than planned. Their drilling quickly falls behind schedule. The military initiates "Secondary Protocol" to remotely detonate the nuclear weapon on the asteroid's surface, despite Truman's assurance it would have no effect. Truman alerts Harry, and he is able to get the shuttle commander's help to disarm the remote trigger. Harry pushes his crew harder, but in their haste, they hit a gas pocket, blowing their Armadillo into space. They consider the mission lost until the arrival of the Independence's Armadillo. With A.J. at the controls, they quickly reach the required depth for the bomb. The heat from the asteroid's approach to earth damages the triggering device, forcing someone to stay behind to manually detonate the bomb. After all the non-flight crew volunteers, they draw straws, and A.J. is selected. As he and Harry exit the airlock, Harry rips off A.J.'s air hose and shoves him back inside, telling him he is the son Harry never had, and he would be proud to have A.J. marry Grace. Harry prepares to detonate the bomb and contacts Grace to say his last goodbyes. After the Freedom moves to a safe distance, Harry pushes the button at the last minute, and the bomb successfully splits the asteroid to avoid collision with Earth as planned. Freedom lands, and the surviving crew are treated as heroes. A.J. and Grace get married, with photos of Harry and the other lost crew members. Spoilers End Cast and Crew *Bruce Willis as Harry Stamper *Ben Affleck as A. J. Frost *Billy Bob Thornton as Dan Truman *Liv Tyler as Grace Stamper *Will Patton as Charles "Chick" Chapple *Steve Buscemi as "Rockhound" *Michael Clarke Duncan as J. Otis "Bear" Kurleen Bear *Owen Wilson as Oscar Choice *Clark Heathcliffe Brolly as Fred Noonan *Peter Stormare as Lev Andropov *William Fichtner as Colonel Willie Sharp *Ken Hudson Campbell as Max Lennert *Keith David as General Kimsey *Jessica Steen as Co-Pilot Jennifer Watts *Grayson McCouch as Gruber *Jason Isaacs as Dr. Ronald Quincy *Chris Ellis as Walter Clark Quotes Notes See Also *Jurassic Park III *Planet of the Apes *The Expendables *Sherlock Holmes External Links *Armageddon on RiffTrax *Armageddon on Amazon Category:Armageddon Category:RiffTrax Presents Category:RiffTrax Presents in 2010 Category:Matthew J. Elliott Category:Michael Bay